Beautiful Disaster
by Laylinka
Summary: Micah and Lacey are drawn to each other. The only problem is his Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde personality disorder. There's a demon inside him that will stop at nothing till Hemingford falls to it's knees before him. His inner struggle ensues.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I do not own Children of the Corn.

I wrote this story 3 years ago. (6-26-07) I'm re-posting it so I can divide it into chapters and hopefully make it easier for people to read.

A/N: This is a Micah/Lacey ship. Friendship mind you, light fluff, loyalty, and a completely plutonic relationship. As in not-a-whore like she was "perceived" in the movie. In the movie he didn't make a move to sacrifice her because she was a virgin, but for being an unbeliever, contrary to some idiot movie reviewers. Set in an A-U where Danny did not befriend her. Micah transferred from Gatlin to Hemingford in 5th grade when his parents died. Lacey's parents did not die in a car wreck, she's living with them. From 5th grade, she and Micah gravitated toward each other in a subtle way. They shared more then a handful of lighted-hearted, semi-romantic and exciting times together. Growing up, she had a moderate amount of friends, nobody she really felt she could trust. Micah had a smaller group, mostly other orphans from Gatlin. As the story progresses he acquires quite a following. Here in this story is catalogued only a few moments that led up to Micah's possession. One of the most important being his kind of like Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde transformation, in giving into the corn god's suggestive speaking in his head. In my story the "presence" in his mind gives him wicked voodoo magic and the ability to move things with his mind ex. church scene and wheel chair incident.

She had always noticed him, ever since the 5th grade. He was a year older then her but in the same grade. The rather cute dark haired dark eyed kid, Micah. During those days he was much more shy and innocent. A few times on the playground a group of her friends and his decided to play tag/hide and seek. They all laughed and hollered. She didn't really think about it back then but anytime that Micah chased her she would almost always end up in the corn. Most of the time they played it boys against girls like kids do. However in 6th grade when she was 12 the games got a bit more interesting.

MEMORABLE OCCURRENCE 1

6th grade 12 years old

Lacey was hiding behind a tree. Carefully watching for a way to get to the "base." Unknown to her a certain someone was watching her from behind. Even back then she wore Lacey cut off jeans and had long beautiful blond hair. He smirked when he walked up behind her and whispered.

"You better run."

"Oh Jezzus!" She said under her breath as she bolted. She tried to run toward he base but he cut her off. Then the opposite way it wasn't long before he cut her off there too. The only direction to go was into the corn. So she opted for that hoping she would loose him before her energy started to dwindle. He watched her run in-front of him, a strange part of him enjoying that sight. He saw the approaching clearing and that the time was right. He reached around her waist and took her down with him. He laughed.

"Micah!" She screamed. At that moment something inside him awoke. Hearing her scream like that would always please him. He almost swooned and nearly forgot what he was doing. They rolled. She laughed breathlessly. He rolled on top of her and sat. Smiling, he leaned down with one arm across her shoulders and with a finger tip touched the middle of her forehead and said;

"Tag." Then he looked up as he heard voices approach. And Lacey heard them too. Self-conscience of their position she blurted out.

"What are you doing Micah!? What are you thinking?!" And swatted at him. He quickly got to his feet and gave her a hand which she took. She looked at him.

"You're crazy." Smiled and ran off. Micah looked away and smirked he knew she liked it.

Her parents never liked him and would not permit the two to see each other outside of school. Like any child forbidden to do something she always found a way around it. They'd run around in the cornfield together. Sometimes with others sometimes with just each other.

MEMORABLE OCCURRENCE 2

8th grade 14 years old

2 years later, Lacey was now 14 and in 8th grade. She was out with a few friends. Running around and having innocent fun. In many ways they were still kids. Their age group got to be diverse. Lacey was crouched low 3 rows into the corn, quietly watching other kids chase each other around, waiting for a chance to get to the "base" as they called it. She took a deep breath and let it out in a scream when 2 hands clamped down on her shoulders. Followed by a

"Hahaha, you're it!!!!"

"I'm going to get you for that!"

She scrambled up to chase him. He glanced back in mock horror. He was only an arms length out of her reach but still too far. They reached a clearing and she thought she was in close enough proximity to "tag" him. She grabbed him by the shirt and swung him around. She didn't intend on him to fall but that's exactly what he did. And rolled a bit too. She had to stifle a laugh when she saw the dust fly and his hair in disarray.

"Oh my gosh are you OK? I didn't mean to."

He looked up at her slightly dazed at first and then smiled and said,

"Oh no you didn't." And shook his head back and forth.

"I had that coming didn't I?" She held out her hand and said,

"For a long while."

"I don't think you want to do that. How do you know I won't pull you down and get your pretty little outfit dirty like you did mine?"

"You're right." She smiled mischievously, retracted her hand ran off swiftly.

He sighed and smiled. He had gotten to hear that beautiful scream again. ===============================================================

9th grade 15 years old

STRANGE ENCOUNTER

1 year later, in mid-day, when Micah was 16 years old, he was out walking picking a couple things up from town when he absentmindedly took a different route home finding himself alongside a cornfield. The wind picked up and he saw the corn open up next to him. A voice said:

"Come," he wasn't sure if it was in his head or real. His curiosity over took him or was it the voice and he ventured into the corn, slowly.

"Yes." The wind spoke to him.

"Kill, kill the farmers of this land, kill the parasites." His eyes widened and his lips parted, searching frantically for the embodiment of the voice.

"Huh…" A chill ran up and down his spine at the notion that the wind talking to him.

"Do this for the good. Do this now!"

"Oh my god." He squeaked, turned on his heel and ran screaming out of the cornfield.

He tried to block the event of that day out of his mind. Some days, he went back into the field for the sheer morbid rush of adrenaline it would give him. Actually hoping he was crazy so that the voice would not have been real.

Micah was in his room a few days later feeling that same presents creep up on him. A hissing voice caused him to stop what he was doing.

"Kill all that defileth the land. All adults are hypocrites. They've wronged you haven't they?" He didn't answer the voice back for fear that one would hear him and think he's crazy.

"You know this. Cleanse the land, kill kill kill."

He ran out of his house screaming.

He thought about what the voice had said about defiling the land. That he did not understand. He did think of some adults as hypocrites. He thought of his parents and how they treated him. Although he didn't feel much remorse over their deaths, at that time he didn't have a murderous bone in his body. They were all he knew. Now things were different. The woman that looked after him treated him more like an adult.

Encouraged him to see girls though he chose not to. Pleasures of the flesh didn't motivate him, but he was fond of Lacey. If he had to choose his first kiss, it would be her. The woman that he lived with encouraged him in his schooling and let him have privileges that he, in his previously life, was not accustomed to. He would creep her out with how remorseless he seemed about his parents' deaths, he knew this. He tried to pretend but she saw he never cried.

MEMORABLE OCCURRENCE 3

On her 15th birthday (9th Grade) Lacey gorged her self with chocolate cake and drank a small army's worth of strawberry Faygo mixed with root beer. As a gift, her parents threw a moped at her so she wouldn't have to walk everywhere she wanted to go.

On a warm summer afternoon of that same year Lacey found herself with Micah. She had told her parents she would be with some friends and she was for a while. She wandered off and he found her. She asked him if he would like to walk to her house so she could pick up her moped so they could both ride around town. He stayed clear of the yard for her parents did not like him. He bought her some food at the restaurant in town. She was reluctant at first but he insisted. She ordered spaghetti, pancakes and a club sandwich.

She dared him to try her milk mixed with marinara sauce sprinkled with Mrs. Dash concoction. He had to be the big man and did but he spit it out in his cup and had to get another drink.

"Never again." he said. She just laughed. When they both finished their meal or meals they left to again to ride the country side. He rested his hands on her bare slender hips with her low rise jeans hesitantly. She looked back and him and smiled. They passed a lot of corn before he asked her.

"Could you stop here?"

"Yeah, sure. How come?" He got off the moped and smiled.

"Come with me; come on, like when we were kids." He beckoned her. She smiled, bit her bottom lip and said:

"OK." For an unknown amount of time they wandered around the corn chitchatted and played hide and seek. He playfully bumped into her side. She bumped back. He bumped into her again, harder. This time she shoved him.

"What do you think you're doing?" She laughed.

"You're not going to win." She dared.

"I already have." He wrestled her to the ground in a clearing.

"Deja-vu, Goldie-locks." He smirked with his hair falling into his eyes.

"Yeah, back in 6th grade. Three years ago."

"The way you ran from me, you were begging me to tackle you."

"What? Was not." She struggled to get up. He pinned her arms.

"Was too, just like your enjoying this right now." She laughed softly.

"If I say you're right, will you let me up?" He lowered himself, face inches from her.

"No. That would defeat the entire purpose." He whispered into her ear,

"I see no problem with elongating the moment." Then faced her again.

"You're insatiable." She smiled

"You don't know the half of it." He gave her that mischievous smile.

"You always find me. When I'm alone or with friends."

"That's because I'm stalking you." He giggled.

"Oh my god I am so appalled." She said in mock horror, slipped one of her hands free and playfully slapped him on the face. He was amused. With his now free hand he put it under her neck and said:

"Just kidding. It's a small town, I wouldn't have to." He winked.

* * *

It started to get dark. During their little game, an unusually long time passed. She couldn't find him. She wandered.

"Micah! OK, I give up, where are you? Surly she had gotten herself lost. She had no concept of time it could've been 10 minutes or 30 minutes that passed. She had no watch.

"You little bastard. Hello? Worse yet, it was getting darker by the minute. Was he just trying to scare her? She wondered. She sighed and stayed put for awhile. Unknown to her, he stalked through the corn stalks to her, with his hands out in front of him. From behind, he grabbed her by the shoulders. As he anticipated, she screamed bloody murder.

"Hahahaha! Did I scare you? He turned her around to face him. She beat on his chest. He continued to laugh.

"Damn it, that's not funny!"

"You could've heard that one for miles, Heeheehee!"

"You sadistic prick."

"Am I now?" He still had her close to him. He started tickling her. "Ahhhhhh stop it!

"Am I a prick? Am I reeeeeeeally a prick?" She laughed uncontrollably. He was enjoying himself almost too much.

"Noooo, I- I actually really like you," she laughed. He let up then, brushed her hair out of her face and let go of her.

"I really like you too." He grinned.

"I still think you're sadistic." She added and playfully punched him.

"Oh come now, no harm done." He glanced over. She was lost but he found their way out of the field surprisingly fast. They hopped back on the moped and she took him home.

"I had a good time, thanks." He said as he stepped off the moped. "We should go for a ride on that thing again."

"Sure, thanks for keeping me company. I had fun." They casually hugged each other.

"Bye, Lacey."

"Bye, Micah." She waved.

APRIL PRESENT DAY

10th Grade 16 years old ( Micah 17 )

We find Lacey at a bar, not to drink, heavens no. It's not just a bar, it's a bar and grill and tonight is karaoke night. Every other Friday night. One may wonder how she is allowed into a bar at 16 years of age, the answer is simple, she knows the right people, and they are good people. They look out for her. They know her dad and give her rides home afterwards so no drunks try to pick her up.

Her mom and dad butt heads on the issue all the time. Her mom wonders why she doesn't just sing in church. She's not really a child anymore, Ray and Sally are good people, they look out for her, he argues. Besides business seems to be better when she's around.

Karaoke used to be once a month, if even, but there got to be more participation and Lacey drew small crowds so she was also an asset. She took every opportunity to sing. When she was 11, 12, and 13, she sang in church. They had a small choir for a while until kids moved away, some quit and the people who where in charge of it retired.

Micah showed up sometimes. He came with an older lady friend of his, a family friend she guessed. Lacey remembered like it was yesterday, the first time Micah watched her sing at the bar. She was so nervous. She couldn't quite put her finger on why though. She has always been comfortable with her voice. Maybe it was his dark brooding presents, sitting in the back, like he usually did. She entertained them that night with her version of the Faith Hill song, "Breathe."

Country songs made up most of the play list, but she didn't mind with artists like Faith Hill, Jessica Andrews and Shania Twain out there. She also did pop, ballads and Europop like Ace of Base, TATU, Spice Girls, Kylie Minogue and Aqua.

HER CASTLE

She lived in a large two-story mustard colored house with a huge porch. It was fairly secluded so there weren't any prying eyes from neighbors to watch on goings. She had a roomy upstairs bedroom. The walls were of light beige and a subtle pastel floral print with redwood 3 feet high covering the bottom part of the walls all the way around.

She slept in a white canopy full-size bed complete with a ruffled skirt. She had 2 large windows 2 ½ feet by 4 feet framed by white flowing curtains. She'd spend a lot of her time in her room drawing, writing. She'd also spend a great deal of time out doors, walking, jogging, hiking and exploring.


	2. Chapter 2

THE INVITATION

Her parents went out of town for a few days and she invited Micah to come over. He walks over at 11:00 am, and finds the door unlocked. He pondered weather he should knock or just let himself in and surprise her. He thought to himself, 'when have I ever turned down an opportunity to surprise her.' He giggled quietly to himself and opened the door. The house was quiet; he walked over to the staircase and decided he wouldn't go looking for her. He'd simply sit wait on the comfortable carpeted stairs. It was only a matter of time. He smiled to himself. Minutes passed then he could hear her coming, passing him hopefully…yes. She gasped when she rounded the corner.

"Oh my!"

"Hello to you too." There he sat, about 6 steps up, with his legs stretched out, crossed along the step while aiming his fatal smile at her.

"You're looking charming in your choice of black attire." she complemented. He rose gracefully and gave her their usual 'hello' hug.

"And you look wonderful as always." he complemented twirling her. Today she chose to wear dark brown suede slim fitting pants with a short white peasant shirt.

"Now show me around this castle of yours." She gave him a tour.

"I wish my mom would lay off about you." She said as the walked through the hallway.

"She doesn't even know you. Sometimes she just starts talking. Sometimes I pretend to agree with her, sometimes I just leave the room."

"There are just some children that parents think are bad influences," he stated.

"This is my parents' bedroom." She said, still showing him around.

"Oh is it?" He said pulling her into the room.

"Oh is it?" He said pulling her into the room.

"Micah-"

"Hmmm. Very square, very cozy." He said casually grazing the drapes and caressing the dresser.

"Micah what are you doing?" She watched his slick black figure look over the room.

"A conservative slightly overbearing mother and rather laid back father. I can tell by the color choices and the pictures on the wall.

"Tell me," He shoved her onto the bed.

"Is the bed comfortable?" She kept in mind that he was just playing with her. Still a tinge of nervousness crept on her skin. Nervousness because she kind of liked it or of the unknown. Her mom didn't raise a fool. She had plenty of self respect and perseverance. She chose not to see boys yet because she didn't want to and her mom would have a cow. Though, if she had to choose her first kiss, she'd want it to be Micah. He looked down thoughtful then at her.

"Your parents are right about me." He noticed a hint of something a little less then trustful in her eyes. He smiled and took secret pleasure. He crept slowly over her easing her back on to the bed. Watching every emotion pass over her face.

"Micah," She whispered.

"You're so beautiful Lacey. I'd never hurt you." He kissed her forehead.

She took a deep breath. He felt her entire body relax under him even tough his body was only hovering above hers. He decided to straddle her hips. He wrapped his hands around her shoulders and squeezed. She hissed.

"Too hard? Sorry." He proceeded to massage her shoulders for a few moments. She closed her eyes.

"Where did you learn to do that?" She loved the way his hands felt and that love was written all over her face.

"Nowhere." He whispered and moved underneath her neck.

"Mmmm." She moaned, he smiled. He was fixated by her responses and reveled in his position. He rotated between her shoulders and neck for about 20 minutes. He momentarily wrapped his fingers around it.

"You have such a dainty neck." He admired. He paused, she opened her eyes.

"You OK?" She asked.

"Yeah."

"That felt amazing. I've never had a massage before." He bent down with his hands still around her neck and said;

"Now, when ever your parents start in about me just think about that," he said in a low confident tone.

"You bet," was all she could say. She placed her hands on his and lightly caressed them. He reluctantly withdrew his hands from her. He stood.

"What you just did relaxed me so much. I don't think I want to move."

"Go ahead, lie there. I have no qualms about watching you some more." She stretched and rubbed her neck.

"Damn, you nearly put me to sleep. My neck tingles."

She sat up. He gave her his hand she took it and he helped her up. She continued to show him the rest of the house then her room.

"Very girly, very princess-like." He commented. She put a CD into her player.

"From the white canapé bed to the ruffled bed skirt and the soft carpeting."

"You think that's princess-like?"

"Of course." She played Aaliyah's Back and Forth track on her stereo.

"Ah, chick music, but cool." He commented. Out of the corner of his eye he saw her start to sway. Before he realized it, her body had he eyes like a tractor beam. He took all of her in. The way the sleek, no doubt soft pants showed off every curve and her cute white shirt that accented her frame very well. She turned and noticed him staring.

"You look like you've never seen a girl dance before."

"I……. haven't. I mean, I've watched TV but, damn. You're good at doing whatever it is your doing there." She came closer, extended her hands and invited him.

"Dance with me."

"Uh…I don't think I can. I'll just watch."

"Oh come on, I know you want to." He did want to oblige her but felt self conscience.

"The trick is not to think about it."

"Mmm." He said trying to sync himself with her. Soon he found himself moving close to her, with her and enjoying himself quite a bit. She moved with her back toward him. He ran his hand down her back.

"I sense something about this to be indulgent and sinful." She smiled and turned.

"If that's true, then you must be a skillful at sinning."

"Nonsense, I'm a saint." He shot her a grin that made her giggle.

Next she slowed things down with a song called "Anytime." She commented as she put the disk in,

"If you listen to the lyrics to this song, even though it sounds cliché, the words are very true."

"I'll keep that in mind." She put her arms on his shoulders. He hesitantly puts his hands on her hips. He had never put his hands on a girl like this before. Lacey being one of the only ones that truly mattered to him, so he took extra care.

"I look deep in your eyes and I feel it coming through

And I can't help want you more than I want to

So baby take all your fears and cast them all on me

Cuz all I ever wanted was just to make you see."

~Kelly Clarkson: Anytime

He moved his fingers ever so slowly feeling the unbelievable softness of her suede pants. She looked into his beautiful eyes the color of onyx. Only in direct sunlight did they have any hue of brown. She gazed but not for too long at a time.

"Beautiful song." He commented.

"I just want you to know that, I'm here for you. You know, if you have issues at home or problems with friends. You're a great friend of mine, I'll listen." They swayed back and forth.

"Thank you, though I've never once thought about unloading my problems on you. My problems are mine to bear."

"I can tell. It's like no one can know anything about you unless you accept them into your own personal space." She lowered her hands from his shoulders to his upper arms. His thumbs were busy subtly caressing the suede covering her hips.

"I never liked rumors, in a small town like this they spread like the plague. If you catch ill whispers about me, you better believe that person doesn't know me or won't remain a friend of mine for long. Eric betrayed my confidence back in Gatlin 5 years ago, he said that I was sabotaging farm equipment and stealing farm tools." He told her seriously.

"That wasn't very nice of him."

"I know, that's what I told him, before I killed him."

He finished with a mischievous all-knowing smirk. He looked like he was kidding. She had to think he was kidding. She grinned getting the joke. She felt a pressing need to hold him so she lifted her arms up and wound them around his neck. Putting her face in his shoulder, she sighed his name.


	3. Chapter 3

THE BONEFIRE

Dusk was falling with a gentle humidity in the air. At their usual meeting spot, she glanced up at him for a moment as he walked toward her and she suddenly felt anxious. About what she didn't know but it made her have to take a deep breath. She smiled as he approached. They started to walk.

"Hey Lacey." He said in that soft velvety tone.

"Hey Micah." She replied. With an overtly dramatic stance he asked,

"Ready for a phenomenally exciting night on Hemingford?" She smiled.

"I have to be home before it gets late."

"Did you give them a time?"

"No."

"Good." Micah gave her a mischievous grin, or one that she interpreted to be mischievous. They chatted and soon turned down a dirt road. Time seemed to stand still for them.

Impulsively, he took her by both hands, spun her around and pulled her into the corn. She laughed and sighed.

"When I'm with you, we always end up in the corn."

"It's tall, good place for games, deserted, kind of like a maze." He arched an eyebrow at her.

"Have you gotten lost out here?"

"Oh no, I know this place too well. Why, you afraid of getting lost?"

"Well, yeah."

"You shouldn't, not as along as you're with me you won't be lost." There was something about the way he said that last part. It was like he was talking about something completely different. She didn't question him because to do so would sound absurd.

They chitchatted for a short time. He stopped her at a clearing, a rather large one with a pile of stalks and wood for a bonfire. He took matches out of his pocket. She watched as he lit one after another and dropped them into the pile.

"It's getting quite dark, we should be getting back."

"Nonsense, it's still early."

"I shouldn't stay." He sat next to the fire, patted the ground and said

"You should stay, sit." All was silent for a few moments before he began.

"Something happened last year…in this very field."

"What?" she asked.

"I heard a voice." She shot him a questioning look.

"It felt very negative and almost……. consuming. Stifling my logic mind, like shadows covering my eyes so I can't see…."

"That worries me, Micah."

"Have you ever woke from a nightmare to realize that what you fear is as close to you as the foot of your bed? First, you feel like you're being watched. Your imagination alone paralyzes you." He eyed her.

"Stop it, now you're scaring me." She unconsciously leaned into him. He put his arm around her shoulders. She looked around the field as if.

"Sorry, I was trying to tell you how I felt. I left, as fast as my legs would carry me, screaming bloody murder. At first I questioned if it was real or not." He shifted to Indian style and sat facing her side. He caught her eyes again and watched the way the fire reflected in them.

"I want you to know everything about me."

"It didn't happen again did it?" She asked. He looked down.

"…No." He lied, not wanting to worry her. A few moments of uncomfortable silence followed. Lacey watched Micah stare into the fire.

"The fires' beautiful." He commented.

"Yeah, it is." She added.

"How do your parents treat you?" He asked suddenly.

"Good, pretty normal. I mean, they can't be too over protective, there's really nothing around here." She answered feeling almost bad she couldn't relate to Micah on the terms of their parents. He looked to her.

"Nothing really around here to protect you from; except for me." She noticed his lips curl into that evil smirk. He continued.

"I know your parents wanted you to stay away from me a long time ago." He turned toward her with seriousness. She leant toward him and noticed the way his pitch black eyes glinted from the firelight.

"You're a good girl and, it amazed me that you didn't listen to them. And I thank you for that." He kissed her forehead. She smiled.

"You're fun and interesting. You were also very cute in 5th grade." He raised his brows and smiled.

"Do you and your parents get along well?" She asked.

"They died when I was 12, 5 years ago, in Gatlin."

"Oh, I'm sorry. I never knew, I mean I heard of the horrors in Gatlin, that some kids transferred. I just never thought, never wanted to think you were one of them, one of the victims."

"Did we get along? No. If we talked to a girl we sinned. If we listened to the radio, we sinned, and every sin deserved a beating, to chase away the Devil. And then one day I caught my father with the farm hands wife, sinning, most, vigorously." He grinned to himself. She swallowed the uncomfortable moment, tried to hide it.

"Micah. Where you glad when your father was killed?" She asked hesitantly, afraid she knew the answer by the grin on his face.

"The Bible also teaches that, for everything there is a season." He said as a matter of factly. She looked away, again, troubled by his words.

"I'm sorry." That was all she could say, sorry for his pain and sorry for not agreeing that the fact his parents were dead was a good thing. He took her face in the palm of his hand and turned her to face him.

"Don't be," was all he said.

"I should let you get home, as much as I don't want to." He got to his feet and helped her up.

"Don't you have to put the fire out?"

"It will die out on its own." That answer perplexed her, but how was she to contradict him. She had found out that he had been a much darker individual then she thought. He does have a right to be angry but not so cold hearted.

POSSESSION TAKES HOLD

A few weeks later, he was in his room. He felt a familiar strange presents over take his mind. The one from a year ago. A voice that told him to obey yet again. It felt urgent and gripped his mind into a way of thinking that wasn't his. He had tried to fight it off. It was much stronger this time. It gripped his psyche on and off and he felt he was losing the fight to suppress it. The voice's ideas where becoming his……….

"It's time Micah. The harvest shall begin. The harvest of nonbelievers."

He sacrificed his sanity and ventured out into the corn. The thoughts were becoming his thoughts, the voice his voice……

From that day on he formed his cult…with that voice he preached to the children.

"They are adults! They are of that world and we have seen the way of that world and it is evil! There is a greater power and it is within us, but we have eyes but see it not. We have ears but hear it not. I have seen the light from the corn and he who walks Behind The Rows commandeth that we rid the land of all that defileth the corn! Go home, wait for a sign."

The scary thing was that they listened to him.

CURIOSITY

That summer he had asked her three times to go out into the cornfield with him after dark to "play" with the other children. Each time she had gotten out of it with excuses that she had work to do or her parents wouldn't allow her. She had seen lights in the cornfield outside her house at night. One night curiosity over took her and she ventured out into the field. Clad in black, she took with her a tiny light and a compass.

Very quietly she crept, listened to where they were and went in that direction. She saw a large fire in the distance. It wasn't long before she heard voices; she moved closer still to hear then she heard Micah shouting something about Gatlin and Hemingford. She saw him brandish a machete which he used to cut 2 children's hands.

She stifled a gasp. The two joined hands.

"We are one, we are one, we are one!" They all chanted lead by his voice. 'Micah', she whispered to herself. Having a terrible feeling, she backed away. This is some sort of cult, she thought as she began to tremble.

Making her way out of the corn she constantly looked back to make sure she wasn't being followed. As soon as her house was in sight she noticed her parent's car wasn't in the driveway. Wishing they were back already from whatever it was that they were going to. She would've felt safer if they were there.

She ran up to her room and suspiciously looked out the window, straining to see in the dark if anyone was out there. Crawling into bed, shaking like a leaf, her mind wouldn't stop flashing to what could happen. She worried that she would awake to find one of them at the foot of her bed. She thought she heard them in the small noises she heard outside. Small noises made her listen harder then she ever had in her life. She wanted to be held, to be comforted. Morbidly, she wanted Micah. The very being that had shaken her till she felt nothing but cold fear. She had recognized some other kids out there too, but he was the only one there who she had a real bond with. She wanted him to tell her everything was going to be ok. Needless to say, that night she didn't sleep.

ENCOUNTERS

Lacey tried to avoid him after that. So she saw him play cult leader in the corn field. It was no game, it was real. She was worried about him. Secretly, away from her parent's eyes, she had read a couple books on Satanism. Her fear that he was a Satanist she suppressed to the far recesses of her mind, so when she looked in his eyes, when she was ready to face him again, all she would see would be the charming darkness.

She considered staying in more so that she wouldn't run into Micah, or the kids he hangs out with, those strange kids. Her small group fizzled out at the end of 8th grade which she thought was odd. Now she was witness to her estranged friends following Micah around town some days.

Lacey decided it was better for her to keep quiet about what she saw I the field, for fear she might know too much, too much of what was the question that was begging an answer. But sometimes when he looked at her, she'd swear he knew but didn't say anything for the sake of toying with her.

Only 3 days later, she was riding her moped down the street heading home when she saw police and an ambulance. She was curious and road up the driveway. She didn't have to ask questions when she noticed a pair of legs sticking out from underneath the house. Taking note of the hydraulics that were supposed to hold the house up, she felt a shiver of horror travel up her spine. She turned to leave, that's when she saw him, clad in his usual black, with his posse behind him, watching the scene unfold. She glanced for maybe a second too long. Had he noticed?

"Hello dear, you wouldn't have any idea how this happened would you?" A policeman asked shaking her out of her stupor.

"I- I have no idea." She stuttered

"This will be a mess to take to a grave site." He commented as she was walking away. She fought the urge to steal another glance at Micah and quickly road off on her moped. He watched her hair blow in the wind until she disappeared behind the trees.

A WEEK LATER

A week later, Lacey was riding her moped home after one foggy night when she saw flash lights and lanterns coming out of the cornfield to the right of her. She felt a tinge of unease and sped up. She noticed a dark figure move out in front of her. She slowed and recognized it to be Micah. She didn't want to stop; she really didn't want to stop. She slowed to a stop.

"Well well, pleasant surprise Lacey." He greeted in his usual smooth tone.

"Hey Micah." She shivered.

"What are you doing out here at this hour?"

"Heading home. I'm sort of in a hurry. I have to go." She looked behind her to see if the kids were really leaving. He stood in front of her bike; put his hands on her hands as she gripped her handle bars.

"No you don't." He stared into her face. She glanced behind her again, no one. He took in her nervousness like the sent of lavender in the breeze. She shivered again.

"Just kidding. I don't want you to be cold." He squeezed her hands slightly.

"I will see you later."

"See you later." He then moved out of her way. She road off, biting her bottom lip and taking a deep breath. Micah was freaking her out.

He looked back and watched her ride off into the fog. A thought came into Micah's mind telling him to take her, to convert her. He was shooting a look that could kill into the fog where she disappeared.

NEXT DAY

Lacey was riding through town when she noticed police tape across a window of a parlor. She got closer and realized it was shattered. Stopping near the broken glass window she peered inside. There were a few people cleaning up. She didn't even have to ask what happened.

"It was the strangest thing. A lady in a wheelchair crashed through that there window this morning.

"Don't know how that could've happened. Heard that she was out in the middle of the street when a truck was coming and well, you can see the rest."

Lacey's mouth hung open, impossible. She thought to herself.

"Weren't there any witnesses?"

"Strangely enough, there weren't. Just a group of kids down the street. I saw them but then they were gone." She left the scene and continued back home.


	4. Chapter 4

CH4

BAR ENCOUNTER

She stepped into the bar for karaoke that night feeling a lot of stress. Singing usually helped relive that. It was a rather full night. She stood at the bar sipping cherry coke waiting for her turn to sing. Tonight she chose to wear a lavender lacey peasant top with dark blue jeans. Unknown to her, someone else was also enjoying cherry coke in one of the farther off tables, also waiting for her to sing.

She had even picked a song that reminded her of him. Her time came and she sang 'Say It Right' by Nelly Furtado. In mid verse she noticed him, watching her.

She adverted her eyes and stumbled through the last couple words. She felt suddenly as if here was the last place she wanted to be. She didn't want an encounter, did not want to face what she had seen in the field that one night. She missed an entire line of lyrics before she decided she was going to leave, right after her song. She booked to toward the ladies bathroom to leave out the backdoor. She bumped into Sally coming out of the bathroom. Lacey was glad she didn't have to go looking for her.

"I'm going to leave early tonight OK?"

"That's fine hun, is everything alright? You look flustered."

"Yeah I'm fine." She glanced behind her.

"Well have a good night."

"Thanks you too." She had gotten a ride there so she'd have to walk home, but it wasn't far. Nothing was far from her in this town.

It wasn't even dark yet, when she stepped out the backdoor and threw her back against the outside wall. The weather outside was overcast. She took a deep breath of the damp air. She was sure she didn't make eye contact with him so he couldn't surly say she ignored him.

It felt so wrong though. They were close, always said hi to each other. The only thing she was sure of was she didn't want to face him right now. She began to walk home. She wished she didn't have to walk that she could simply nod her head like a genie and appear on her door step. The tension that she was feeling was making the road home unnervingly long.

SLEEP SOMEHOW

She was lying in her beautiful white lace canopy bed asleep. A cold breeze blew across the room. It swept under her white covers and she woke. All was dark except for the bright moonlight. The wind was freezing. Rolling around, she wrapped herself in the covers. Crinkling her face in annoyance, she pulled herself out of bed with the sheets still wrapped around her.

The long white curtains whipped in the wind. She neared the window. Something didn't feel right. She tried to think of it logically, surely her mom didn't open it and she had no memory of opening it.

She saw lights on the ground outside her window, lanterns. There were kids out there. She suddenly felt so weak like she had been injected with something. When she turned around she saw two boys in her room. Somehow she knew what was next.

They came at her and she made for her doorway. As if in slow motion the door seemed so far away. She struggled in the two boys grips. Somehow she got free of the sheets and the hands groping at her. Only, she tripped in to doorway, over what she didn't know, maybe it was the sheets at her feet. It was not to the floor she fell. Someone had her again, tightly around the waist. She tried to throw him away from her. She tore at his shirt, his dark shirt of black silk. Black silk? She looked up into the face of the one who had her. A ghostly pale face, a stark contrast to black hair and suffocating black gaze…

She woke up gasping, out of breath. 'It isn't real it isn't real,' she told herself mentally then out loud. She looked around her room and tried to soak up the comfort, it didn't work. She gripped her sheets and rolled herself up. What she wanted was not to be alone. She glanced at her clock, it read 3 am. She remembered he was talking to her in the dream but she couldn't hear what he was saying. God, I wish I had someone to hold me right now, to comfort me.' She thought to herself.

She tried to relax but could not. The fear she had in her dream followed her over into the real world. She didn't sleep the rest of that night.

FUNERAL

She thought about Micah a lot. The cult that he was involved in chilled her to the bone. He did not speak of it to her and she did not want him to. She knew she couldn't avoid him forever nor did she want to. She was feeling herself slip, apprehensively. The thought of being with him again entered her mind and she found herself wanting to. This happened more so at night after she had woke from a nightmare, usually involving him. Shamefully, she wanted him close to her then, perhaps it was to push the demonic image of him away and replace it with something warm and gentle.

That weekend, Lacey had heard news from her mother that a double homicide had occurred. It was Mr. and Mrs. Rice. They owned the local post office. They had been found dead in their homes. One had been thrown from the top of the stairs and the other beaten to death. Their 2 children had apparently been sound asleep in their beds when this occurred. She did not know them personally but felt it best to go pay her respects. Many people were sad. It saddened her inwardly.

During a person reading the epitaph, she saw a person was grabbing their neck like they where choking. It lasted for several minutes nothing anyone did seemed to help. She watched horrified. The person's body fell to the floor but not without cracking their head on a nearby pew. People swarmed around him and attempted to help him.

She ran to the back to get away from the chaos. Something on the floor caught her eye. She picked it up. It was a wooden doll with a small rope around its neck. Witchcraft, she thought, dropping the doll.

She went into the bathroom and splashed water on her face. She started violently when she noticed a black figure reflected in the mirror behind her.

"Micah!" She whispered.

"Sorry I scared you." He said with inappropriate pleasure in his eye.

"Did you see that?" She asked with wide distraught eyes.

"I did. And I saw you come in here, I wanted to make sure you were ok."

"I just witnessed someone die, of course I'm not ok." He stepped closer.

"Come here, my Goldie-Locks." She let him put his arms around her. She wrapped her arms around him weakly. To be this close to him wasn't the thing she wanted the most at the moment, though she did want someone to hold her.

He inhaled her sent, it made him feel human. The voice in his head was temporarily suppressed. He relaxed.

As if her mind wasn't troubled enough, she remembered her dream, or nightmare rather and what she knew about him. Despite it, she gave in and held him a bit tighter. She felt good in his arms; she was a bit apprehensive to admitting that to herself. She sighed his name against him.

Later that afternoon she overheard a news report on the radio about that poor soul that seemed to die for no reason. The coroner said it was like someone was strangling him. There were actual marks on his neck.

She thought of the doll she found on the funeral home floor. 'Someone's practicing voodoo,' she thought. 'No one's going to be safe.' She thought the cult might be tied with it but didn't want to be paranoid. She didn't even know what they did, let alone if it was anything threatening. She just assumed.

* * *

Five people had died this past 2 weeks. All unexplained. Four were clearly homicides and the other was some bizarre incident. The first 2 were odd though, she thought thinking of the house falling and the wheelchair and the truck. This scared Lacey very much, especially the thought of black magic being involved.

Lacey's parents told her they didn't want her going out at night or to the bar anymore. She didn't talk back but also she didn't see how that mattered. None of the victims where at or near the bar at the time of their deaths. Two were outside in broad daylight, 2 were in their home and the other was at the funeral itself.

FAILED INDUCTION

Lacey was sitting on her bed playing her guitar on a seemingly normal evening. An evening where her parents weren't home, that she was glad of. Something was about to happen that she didn't anticipate. Micah appeared at her house, more accurately in her immediate doorway. She happened to look up, and gasped.

"Micah?"

"I knocked, you didn't hear me."

"What is it?" She asked concerned

.

"Long time no see." He said casually.

"I've been busy....."She half lied.

"Yeah...........I want to.....need to show you something." Lacey was uneasy about going out after dark nowadays. She really didn't want to have to lie but then she thought of something logical to say.

"I can't, I have to be here when my parents get back."

"This is very important to me." He insisted. He walked toward her and took her guitar away slowly and leaned it against the night stand.

"Where, why?"

"It's a surprise." He took her hands and pulled her up gently. His brown eyes were charming her. He had her by the hand and was leading her out the door.

"Where?" She asked again.

"To the corn field." She inhaled sharply as she remembered that night she saw the ritual and heard him shout like he was crazed preacher. She had had nightmares about that night, like she was caught and was going to be punished or sacrificed. She woke up screaming, screaming his name sometimes.

"She instinctively twisted out of his grip." He turned his head to read her pretty face.

"I don't want to Micah. Horrible things have been happening. I don't feel safe." As much as she was vexing him, he felt a tiny pang of guilt. He regarded her for a moment.

"No harm will befall you as long as you're with me." He went to put his arm around her small shoulders and lead her out again. She really wanted to believe him. Oh gods she wanted to believe him so bad. The recent events were scaring her, what she saw scared her, his persistence was creeping her out.

"Micah stop!" she twisted out of his grasp again. He turned on her in an instant, grabbed her firmly but not harshly by the back of her long hair, forced her head back and brandished the machete. His face inches from hers.

"No, you stop!" he shouted. Her green eyes grew huge as he waved it in front of her face.

"Micah, no." She whispered. In her mind she said, 'oh god the dreams.' He licked his lips and put it threateningly close to her neck. He moved her above the bed. She stayed still for her own sake. Her fingers clenched his shirt tightly.

"You don't understand." he said calmly.

"You don't want to do this."

"You're right I don't. I only want to protect you." He said forcefully, letting the cold blade rest against her skin.

"Please stop this." She began to cry.

"Please, Micah. She begged his eyes. A swoon came over him, a momentary loss of consciousness. He felt the need to relax. He looked down at her face; eyes streaked with fear, slowly took the knife away and sheathed it. He looked down for a moment, then at the way her hands grasped his shirt. He covered them with his hand, for a moment. Looking into her eyes, he eased her slowly down on the bed underneath her. He let go of her hair and regarded her for a moment longer. She calmed herself and watched him watch her. He did not want to leave but felt she wanted nothing more then for him to leave. He left.

He wanted to see if she would join, if he could compel her to do so, for her to choose a side. He had no real desire to bring her harm. It was the will of his god. The agenda of his cult he only wanted to divulge to her when she decided to join....or....when things start to get messy.

* * *

Lacey never told her parents Micah threatened her. She was too ashamed because she had lied to them so many times about going to see her friends when she would more often times then not, see him. She felt like she deserved it in a twisted way. As much as she would like to believe that he wanted to protect her, she had thought different of him since that night in the corn field and that day he held a knife to her throat. She couldn't believe how quickly he had changed, from sweet to ferocious to doing nothing but merely dropping her on the bed and leaving.

She also heard rumors that bad things happened when he was around, alone or with other children.

She was cleaning the house as one of her chores and listening to music when a certain song caught her attention. The lyrics were:

He's magic and myth

As strong as what I believe

A tragedy with

More damage then a soul should see

And do I try to change him

So hard not to blame him

Hold on tight, hold on tight

Oh cause I don't know

I don't know what he's after

But he's so beautiful

Such a beautiful disaster

And if I could hold on

Through the tears and the laughter

Would it be beautiful

Or just a Beautiful Disaster

~Kelly Clarkson: Beautiful Disaster


	5. Chapter 5

CH5

Only days after that a couple was found dead in the back seat of the boyfriend's car. He died from stab wounds and she of suffocation. "Death to fornicators!" was written on the trunk hood.

----Lacey wasn't normally a church going person, but with all the chaos that was going on she felt safe there. Lacey sat on the end of a pew. Suddenly, screams arose from across the room. She and a few other people stood to see the ghastly sight of someone apparently bleeding from their nose and ears. She put her hand over her mouth. Blood was everywhere as if someone was stabbing him repeatedly. 'My god.' she thought. She ran out of the church praying she'd forget what she just saw.

It reminded her of what happened in the funeral home barely 2 weeks earlier. She noticed a group of children just standing in the church yard as she took off on her moped. She thanked god Micah wasn't in sight. But she had a horrible feeling he was there and was watching as she road off.

"Soon, Lacey I will see you soon." He leant with his back against a tree listening to her ride off until there was silence. The wind caressed his soft face. He rested his head back on the tree pleased with the day's events.

Her heart jumped when she overheard heard Micah was there and had left after all that had taken place.

She hastily ran up to her room and tried to loose herself in her music. Then the song "Anytime" randomly started to play. Remembering it was the first song that they had slow danced to. She sank to her knees and leant on her bed. "Micah, what happened to you?" She asked herself as a tear rolled down her cheek. She wanted to be the strength for the people in this sad time, but she found she was in short supply.

Her vulnerability would be tested the very next day.

THAT NIGHT IN THE FIELD

"What is to be done with the Lacey girl you hang out with?" A boy questioned.

"We see you hang out with her." A girl said tauntingly.

"Yeah, she's not one of us." Micah shouted commandingly,

"Do not question ME!!!"

* * *

Later that night he awoke at 3 AM and could fall back asleep. He fished for his CD player remote under his covers. He pressed play. One of the CDs Lacey burned for him started to play. It was a BSB song, sad rather moody. He wouldn't seek it out on his own but was compelled to hear what it had to say. It said:

"Close your eyes make a wish this could last forever

If only you could stay with me now

So tell me what it is that keeps us from each other now

No, I can't let you go

You're a part of me now

Caught by the taste of your kiss

And I don't wanna know

The reason why I

Can't stay forever like this"

But he did know the reason why things where the way they where between him and Lacey. He was determined to keep her by his side and protect her from himself at the same time.

APOLOGY

He waited an agonizing week and a half. He thought he should give her time, time for it to dissipate. At the same time he didn't want her dislike for him to grow, if indeed she did completely hate him after that.

Lacey was sitting in a diner drinking cappuccino and listening to her CD player when she saw Micah come in. She hoped he didn't see her. To her dismay he did and he was coming right toward her. He sat down across from her. His eyes were down cast. She removed her head phones.

"Hey Lacey." He whispered. , looking up into her eyes. She showed slight discomfort with him being there. She looked away.

"I want to apologize for what I did. God Lacey, I wasn't going to hurt you."

"Micah…I thought you would."

"You know me Lacey, for years." He gave a small smile. I made a mistake and I'm so sorry. I hope you believe that I wasn't going to hurt you, in here," He pointed to his head, "as well as in here." He finished putting his hand to his chest."

"I've never been so afraid…"

"I saw that, and it frightened me. When I saw that I made you cry, I was overcome with this cold dread that you might not wish to see me again. I was wound so tight with worry, I couldn't think of anything else." She watched him as he spoke. His words did seem to hold remorse. She spoke what was on her heart:

"There's so much death right now, it's like you shouldn't trust anyone. I thought about our past, about how we grew up together and the bond we had. About how we had each other when things really mattered, when the people around us didn't seem to care. And if you tell me you're sorry and that it will never happen again I want to believe you."

"Yes." He half grinned. He continued with,

"I……. really don't want to see you hurt. There are something's going on and I want to protect you." Her hands rested on the table.

"How?"

"You have to trust me." On the table, he extended his hands to her, palms up. Hoping she would take his hands as a physical sign that she trusted him again. It was still unclear as to just how he planned to protect her.

With worry in her eyes, she touched her fingers to his and the bond was resealed. But only on the outside, she did not fully trust him, though she wanted to. There was just so much suspicion. The voodoo doll she didn't want to believe he left at the scene at the funeral home. He is involved in Satanism. Just the way he lurked about screamed hazard. But would she listen? Or was she just being paranoid?

"I wish I could take you away from all this." She did see a truth in his eyes, as logically contradicting as that sounded in her head. Being by his side is better then being at odds with him. Her knowledge that he was a cultist, she tried to push aside again. It occurred to her more then once that they may be who's responsible, but all she wanted to do at this moment was find comfort in the eyes of Micah, her Micah.

He lent onto the table as close as he could get her. With his hand he touched the side of her porcelain-like face.

"I asked myself a thousand times over what I can do to make it up to you." She searched his brown eyes.

"Be the good person I know you to be. Prove my parents wrong again and again. Trust me enough to talk to me if anything's wrong."

"I'll be indebted to you the rest of my life my beauty." He said as he held her green eyes in that inescapable stare.

"May we hook up later?" He asked.

"Is 7 good?" He finished. As if bound by some spell, she said,

"Yeah."

"Good." He half grinned. He slowly got up to leave and continued eyeing her as he backed away and walked out the door. Coming to grips from what she had just committed to, she felt lightheaded for a moment. He left her wondering, 'how did he?' He came off as such a charmer to her or maybe he was just her weakness.

She secured that night by lying to her mom which she had become good at due to her seeing him various times. Her mom would've gone insane if she would find out that her daughter's sneaking around seeing a boy and that boy being Micah would be that much worse.

HIS CHAMBERS

He splashed water on his face and looked into the mirror. The face he saw was his not the face of He Who Walks Behind the Rows. He doubted that he would have one of his episodes tonight. He did not want her around when he did. Though he cared for her, perhaps it wasn't enough to keep himself away from her. 'I've already done so much.' he thought to himself. 'To stop seeing her would be like cutting my lifeline. The one place were I can still find myself, were I can find peace.' he concluded. A voice whispered 'selfish.' to him but he ignored it.

They met at their usual meeting place. It was a cloudy, misty afternoon.

Ten to 7:00 he watched her pull up to him on her moped. He hopped on the back and she asked:

"Where to?"

"I was wondering, uh…Would you like to come over to my place for a while?"

"All right." He touched her cheek and turned her to face him.

"I mean no insinuation when I say no one else is home." He said sincerely.

"OK." She was impressed by his words. He put his hands lightly on her hips and they road off. Lacey loved watching the beautiful scenery, the nature all around her. She breathed the misty fresh air in deep as she road.

He hesitantly wrapped his arms around the beauty in front of him. He laid his head on her shoulder and closed his eyes inhaling her sweetness mixed with the damp summer breeze. A smile danced across her lips as she felt him hold her. She imagined the way he must look.

They pulled into his driveway and he told her to put the moped into the near by shed to be safe. They walked onto his porch and he opened the door for her. She replied with thanks. He entered, slammed the door shut, backed against it with an overtly dramatic stance and said:

"I have you now." She looked back at him, serious or not she had to giggle. He cracked a wide grin and came at her, grabbed her, and swung her around twice. She screamed as he had hoped. He laughed crazily and said:

"I'll be right back." He returned standing in a doorway striking dashing pose and said:

"Your tour is ready to commence." He showed her around downstairs, then up stairs.

Lastly, he showed her his moderately sized room. She immediately gravitated toward his source of music.

"You have a nice stereo."

"Thanks. Angela got it from a friend of hers who was getting a new one."

"Very cool. Having music is the only thing that saved me from lobotomizing boredom on some days." She commented as she flipped through her CDs.

"Can I?" She asked and put in some electronica.

"Go ahead." He started bobbing his head. They did some chitchatting while music played.

"When you go home tonight I'll ride with you to make sure you're safe. Then I'll walk back here."

"You don't have to."

"No arguments." he stated. She nodded in acceptance.

A slow song began to play and he remembered what it was like to dance with her. He rose from the bed and walked over to where she sat on a bar stool. He put his finger to his lips to hush her. Then he extended his hand to invite her to dance with him. She took it smiling broader by the moment. He put his arms around her waist and wrapped his fingers around her shoulders. Her mind swam with all the things she wanted to tell him but she pushed them aside and the lyrics from the song invade her mind.

"Empty spaces fill me up with holes/ Distant faces with no place left to go

without you within me I can't find no rest/ Where I'm going is anybody's guess

I try to go on like I never knew you/ I'm awake but my soul is half asleep

I pray for this heart to be unbroken/ but without you all I'm going to be is/ incomplete."

~Backstreet Boys: Incomplete

He was listening to the lyrics as well. He held her with a somber look on his face and was glad she couldn't see it. The song spoke of such loss and he had to force himself inwardly to get a grip. It reminded him of how he had felt from the time he had lost control and pulled a knife on her till the time that he apologized earlier today. Horribly, he didn't feel like it was over yet. It's like he could feel an impending doom creeping up on their relationship. He realized with strong force how much he actually cared about Lacey. He'd have to get a grip on his sanity if he would like things to remain the same between him and his Goldie-Locks.

It was her wish to find comfort in his arms. She felt he needed her and that she needed him too. She felt complete. It was like things were as they used to be, even better. As the song ended she pulled away so she could look him in the face.

"I was so worried about you." She admitted. He saw reflected in her, his own need. He smiled a little. Another slow song started they kept swaying.

"And I you."

"It's like…you were…" she looked away not wanting to expand on the string of negative thoughts.

"What?" He asked gently not really wanting to speak of what was happening to him.

"…Different…Sometimes you'd have this underlying negative demeanor. God, I don't want you to think that I'm…" She traced his brow with her finger.

"You think I have something to do with what's going on?" He stated it more then asked.

"No, I never want-"

"Shhhh." 'But you have.' He finished in his mind.

"It's ok. People are excessively paranoid during these times." 'That's why you've been avoiding me.' He thought.

"I don't want to be paranoid of you. You're all I've got. There's this unease that's gripping this town right now."

"It's called being terrorized." He said blatantly. She caught a tinge of his voice sounding unemotional. She ignored it wanting to finally confess to him how she's been feeling.

"So when you scared the crap out of me in the funeral bathroom and when you waltzed out of the cornfield that night, then I saw you at the crime scene. I felt very negative.

"Ah, you did see me." He raised his brow and smirked in a rather disturbing way. Her breath caught in her throat when she realized that she had just admitted to openly ignoring him.

"It's correct for me to assume then that I was the reason you left the bar that afternoon." She lowered her head not finding it in herself to lie to him. She shivered involuntarily when she noticed the way he was looking at her.

"Mmmm…I felt that." He murmured. She didn't want him to be disappointed in her for her action so she slipped her hands from his shoulders to his waist and wrapped him in her arms.

"I'm sorry Micah." She said quietly. He bent his head down and whispered in her ear,

"Don't worry baby, all's forgiven." She felt confident enough to continue:

"There are lots of rumors going around about the kids. Kids that you are with you sometimes. They're acting really creepy, they watch, they stare seemingly unemotional. You stare…"

"Do I scare you when I stare at you?"

"Well…" She blushed and cursed herself. Now was not the time for blushing. The truth was that she thought his looks were intense. She covered her cheeks. He took her by each wrist, crossed both their arms behind her back and pulled her close.

"Ahh, you mask your desire with a look of a deer caught in headlights, clever. Weather I've scared you or not is not the point. It's my stripping gaze that fixates you isn't it. It makes you feel like you know so little about me compared to what I-know-about-you."

"Don't be so sure." She tried to fend him off.

"Why, what do you think you know, what have you seen? He asked as his eyes grew with mock suspicion.

"Oh nothing, I'm just teasing." She half smiled thinking of the ammo she did have.

"Yeah, like I'm only teasing. I'm not sorry for the looks I give you. I rather like …watching." He raised his head up and looked down at her. She giggled. She was feeling a lot of things and slightly uncomfortable was one of them. As much as she liked it, was it embarrassment? She wasn't used to him being this close or on top of that, reading her thoughts like a book.

"Now, I wanted you here for a reason. Do you know what that is?"

"I don't think it was just to creep me out." She half smiled, partly joking.

"Oh come now, only a little bit." He winked. He let go of one of her arms and smoothed the hair on her forehead back.

"It's so easy, you're much too serious." He backed her up slowly.

"You sadistic, pouty little-" He suddenly shoved her onto his bed. She yelped.

"Such kind words, really. The sadist in me thanks you." He smiled and laughed. She quickly composed herself, eyeing him incase he intended to pounce, for any reason.

"I'd like to have you for dinner." He said casually.

"Oh, that's very sweet of you." She smiled.

"It's the very least I can do, and, won't be the last. Make yourself comfortable here; I'll be in the kitchen." He bowed and left. She let herself fall back on the bed and shivered with excitement.


	6. Chapter 6

DINNER

She always loved how spontaneous he was. This perfect blend of goofy-ness and intensity. Not to mention danger this was purely speculation. She never understood how being drawn to a potentially dangerous man could be exciting. Now she was back with him accepting his apology and now hospitality.

She was straightening an object on a shelf when she noticed something peeking out from between the mattresses. 'Clever place to hide something' she thought sarcastically. Listening for nearing footsteps she knelt by the bed. Lifting the mattress slightly she saw it was a handle. A handle to what she wondered. Glancing at the doorway, she slowly pulled out a 16 inch sickle with a rounded blade and a 4 inch handle.

"Oh…my…god." She whispered to herself. It was a well maintained tool or weapon as she thought it most likely was. She listens for him approaching imagining his lack of understanding if he found her snooping under his bed. She looked away only for a moment slipping the sickle back between the mattresses like she had originally found it.

She threw herself on his bed and took deep breaths. She attempted to explain away why he would have such a device, and, she explained it away quite well. 'It must be for self-defense.' She thought, and didn't blame him in that regard. The weapon appeared to be clean, no trail of human innards.

She wondered morbidly for a moment: if he were to use it on someone, would he clean it afterwards? She asked herself exasperatedly, 'What am I thinking? I'm lying on this person's bed alone with them in their house. I better start relaxing before he gets back and asks me what's wrong and I'll fumble with my words and say nothing and he'll know I'm lying.' She sighed. She knew he liked to play, even give her a bit of a jolt every now and then just to keep her on her toes.

He didn't seem like the dishonest type, at least not to her particularly. Maybe she didn't see his true potential. Or maybe it didn't matter to her what he did as long as he treated her right.

She decided it would be polite of her to ask if he needed any help with making dinner. She crept down the staircase quietly. On some level, she planned to sneak up on him. She was scarcely in the kitchen doorway catching a glimpse of him from the back. His typical black from shoulder to foot figure and he asked her,

"How are you? Is everything ok?"

"Oh I'm fine." she said smiling, her plan foiled. He was chopping up some vegetables. Instead of a small knife that would've sufficed, he was using a ridiculously large one. She walked up behind him and put her arms around his waist. She noticed everything lined up on the counter, organized.

"You're good with that." She complemented his cooking/chopping.

"You should see me outside of the kitchen." he quipped.

"You're as morbid as the day is long."

"I know, bad joke, but you don't hate me do you?" She sighed and squeezed him tight. He turned around in her arms and put his arms around her shoulders. She happened to look over at the cleaver at her side and she gave him a look like, 'Must you still hold that?'

"What?" he asked.

"Oh this?" He said twirling it once.

"Pay no mind. I'm a bit eccentric. What can I do for you?

"Actually I was hoping I could help you."

"Not necessary." He said quickly.

"Go on and make yourself at home. You're not bored are you?"

"Oh no." she answered quickly with bug eyes.

"What was that look for?" He teased

"What did you find to interest you? Oh jezzus! She thought to herself.

"I was just laying around up there, listening to music, you're room's quite cozy." He moved his arms down to encircle her waist as well, and squeezed her. He laughed slightly at her small ramble noticing a hint of something more. It pleased him though, that she was here with him.

He looked down at her for a while enjoying the closeness. She looked up at him for a while tangling her fingers in the back of his black silk shirt. Even though she's known him for years, quite a large part of him was mysterious to her. Just this year she found out that his parents died 5 years ago. It was like if he wanted something to be a secret, it would remain a secret until he wished different.

"I'll...um… leave you alone so you can finish." He nodded and slowly let her go. She walked, he watched her, and she turned to catch him watching. It looked rather macabre, him and that damn cleaver.

* * *

She was admiring some of the things on his shelf when the lights when out suddenly. It was dark. It was past sunset and it appeared that all the lights where off in the entire house.

It caused her only a moment of worry for she crept toward the doorway silently. Walking up the stairs by the glow of candlelight was Micah. He was holding a five stick candelabra. She stood in awe as he walked up the stairs gracefully and slowly walked passed giving her a sidelong glance asking:

"Ready for some semi-romanticism?" She only stood there turning her head as he floated by. She shivered from the cool breeze and mysterious seductive aura bleeding from him.

"I felt that…" he said with out turning around. He set the candelabra down in his room. He emerged out carrying a tall black pillar candle passing her he said:

"I'll be right back with the food." She stared again as he dissented the stairs. She watched him as he disappeared downstairs. Beautiful-- she thought to herself. She never saw him in this light before, literally and the fact that he was preparing dinner for her. She has discovered yet another facet of his personality.

She walked back into his now candlelit room. He placed the candleholder on one side of a long coffee table. He returned carrying two plates on one arm and a second candelabrum identical to the one before on the other. He placed the candleholder on the opposite side of the other and laid the plates down on the coffee table. They both sat down Indian style across from each other. He gave her in inquiring look when she didn't start eating.

"Micah, this is beautiful. So unexpected."

"I wanted to shock you, in a good way." He motioned to the food and around the room.

"I wish my parents could see this, see you as you really are."

"It's unfortunate, but let's not talk of them."

"No one's ever done something like this for me. Now I feel like I'm the one indebted to you."

"Don't say that, for you don't even know what I ask." He said teasingly. She smiled and blushed.

"The food is delicious. Thank you."

"No. Thank you for allowing me to cook for you and for trusting me enough to come over."

"So how many other girls have you cooked for?" She asked him teasingly and serious at the same time.

"Only you." He said quickly. They chitchatted over dinner and had a few laughs. After they were done he took their plates downstairs. Coming back he said,

"We have time for one more dance."

"Oh I don't know. It's getting late."

"It wasn't a question. I told you, I'll ride with you when you go home and I'll walk back here, don't worry, nothing's going to happen." 'Cause I'm the one they all should fear', he finished in his mind.

She played a track called by HIM, "In Joy and Sorrow." The song spoke volumes for what she was feeling. He took her in his arms elegantly, holding one of her hands. She smiled.

In joy and sorrow my home's in your arms

in a world so hollow it's breaking my heart

In joy and sorrow my home's in your arms

in a world so hollow it's breaking my heart

Lacey slipped both her arms around his waist. It was his turn to smile. He rested his hands on her upper arms. He thought to himself: I'm at the helm of all these wrong doings but in her presents I find peace.

Lacey didn't want to speak she just wanted to enjoy the moment but she felt compelled to say,

"I don't want to let you go. I feel like I won't see you again."

He thought to himself, 'It's like she has the sight.' When I no longer can resist this voice, this other part of me taking over, you better pray you don't see me again. By that time, he figured, a lot of people will have died.

* * *

She was very cautious in the next few weeks when things were getting considerably worse. She continued to hear rumors that some of the very homicides that occurred where in his presents, alone or with some other kids. That didn't mean anything, but in the supernatural realm she knew it just might.

* * *

STRANGE WARNING

Lacey was in town running errands for her mother when she was harshly pulled into an alleyway. She felt a moment of panic until he turned her to face him and pressed her against the wall behind her.

"Micah-"

"You have to listen to me. You and your family must leave town." He whispered swiftly.

"They're not going to want to do that. Besides, I want to be here for you. You don't see everyone else leaving town. They aren't going to be driven away from the town they grew up in." Lacey reasoned.

"Then they will die here. Whatever's happening, it's not going to stop. He said wide-eyed.

"Bad things happen everyday. This is bizarre but it's not like everyone in this towns going to die."

"This isn't just an everyday occurrence. Don't you see?" He so much wanted to tell her that he felt he was loosing control. He grabbed her by the front of her shirt and said desperately,

"You must leave town Lacey. You have to escape this." She put her hands on his.

"If you're right, then how?"

"Get your parents to send you away for a while."

"They won't do that."

"Then you should just go, here." He said stuffing a wad of 20$s into her shirt pocket.

"Believe me, what you have awaiting you out there is much better then what you have here."

"What do you know Micah that you're not telling me?" He couldn't tell her that he feared he or other children would come after her. He put his hands on the sides of her beautiful face.

"As you said Lacey, there's so much death."

"You're scaring me Micah."

"I hope so."

"Why?"

"Your fear will save your life."

She had felt her pulse race when he had told her she had to leave. After he had left was when the anxiety hit her. She road home trembling almost to the point of making herself sick.

When she looked she was shocked to find that he wad of cash that he gave her added up to 500$. She still wasn't sure if she should runaway. She thought of what running away from home would do to her parents. She worried about what they would think. They would never trust her again. She wrestled with that thought at the same time feeling as if there's some unknown purpose for her to stay.


	7. Chapter 7

WRESTLING WITH POSSESSION

Day 1

He didn't know how long he could keep it at bay. Sooner or later the thing would take him over completely. The episodes were lasting longer. Instead of hours, it was days. He wasn't completely sure if it was his will keeping Lacey from He Who Walks Behind the Rows or if maybe "HE" had some sort of plan for her. When he slipped into the spirit possessing him, he felt confident of his work and that she would join him.

Lacey talked to her parents about the possibility of them leaving town. They didn't take it very well. They asked her: 'Just where do you think we'll go?' 'And who has that kind of money?' and her favorite' 'We have locks dear.'

Day 2

Still shaken from Micah's request, no, command. It was more of a command. She started to pack her back pack. She hoped her parents wouldn't think she's getting out of control for running away. She wasn't even entirely sure she wanted to go through with it. There was a bus that left that night and the next. If not this one, maybe the next', she thought warily.

He thought about it occasionally, how he never got caught. He was a little messy and left some dolls lying around. He had left a couple weapons but always wore gloves. Sure, some gave him a second glance, but he either returned it with a glare or ignored it. What astounded him was how people seemed to be blind.

The only person who had suspected him was Lacey, maybe that's because she was so in tune with him. As if she could feel the negativity pulsing through his head. But she could never truly suspect him. He knew she was too fond of him. It blinded her. He didn't mind that, it made it easier for him.

It was strange, he still felt like he was doing the town a favor, with disposing of some of them. Killing for sport and revenge was now his thrill. And that Lacey, his Lacey, would either join him or die, no, join him or nothing. There was no other option.

* * *

She was wondering through the corn field at night. Feeling fuzzy, she couldn't quiet remember why she was there. 'I was looking for something, someone,' she thought. She looked down to find a compass in her hand. She was trying to find her way back home, that's what it was. The more she went into the direction of her house the more the compass seemed to change every time she looked at it.

She was getting confused. She remembered suddenly that being out in the field was a bad place to be especially at night. The sun seemed to be going down on her just as she realized that. She glanced back at her compass. The needle was spinning faster and faster. She started to panic. She moaned in frustration.

Starting to run, she hoped for an out, to anywhere. She saw her house in the distance. Heart pounding in her chest legs threatening to give out she made for her safe place as fast as she could. Before she even realized it she was running halfway through a small clearing…filled with children. She heard a voice.

"Seize her!" it yelled. They merely stepped in front of her. There were too many of them, she couldn't get through. She turned, feeling her desperation rise as the leader advanced on her quickly.

"Micah!"

Black eyes bored into her as he came upon her. He grabbed her by the back of her hair.

"You will join us!"

"NO!!!!!!!!" she screamed

She thrashed around, her eyes opening. She sat up. She thought to herself: wait…what? I'm not in the field. Sadly she thought: This isn't anything new. It's just every single time it feels so real. Each time after she woke, she wanted to be near him, for him to tell her everything was going to be ok.

* * *

The next day, she decided she had to see him, wearing a modest black top with a red lace overlay and black jeans as she hopped on her motorbike and road to the inn. It was a cool afternoon; her waist length hair blew in the wind. She went a route into the inn that didn't require her to use the front door.

Walking up the stairs, she hesitated before knocking. She had a strong inclination that she shouldn't be here. Feeling it was absurd and just plain ignoring it she knocked on his door. He opened the door genuinely caught off guard.

"Oh Lacey. To what do I owe this visit?"

"I….had to see you." Her eyes were downcast.

"Come in then. Did you tell anyone you came here?"

"No."

"Did anyone see you?" He asked casually. She shook her head no.

"I used the door in the back."

His personality seemed to be off to her. He didn't ask her about leaving town. He played upon her dislike for her mom trying to control her sometimes. He said things like;

"You're the perfect daughter, beautiful, obedient, and responsible. She shouldn't be controlling of you, so self-righteous. Hypocritical."

At times it was like he was going to tell her about the cult but in a very subtle way, very vague. When that happed, she didn't respond at first then she deliberately changed the subject when he would say something to the affect of what he was involved in.

THE DEMON WINS

Only 4 days after his warning, his self perseverance took a sharp fatal blow from the demon inside him. He could feel the last parts of his humanity disintegrate. God help Lacey if she crossed his path now. The meetings in the corn continued and where now more frequent.

Four of the older kids killed both their parents that week. Things were spiraling out of control. It was unreal; the children seemed to have the authorities in a death grip. None of them knew who to convict. The children seemed to be the last ones to see their parents alive, but the police, at the same time refused to believe they may be responsible. It was unthinkable to them.

* * *

Special sacrifices were to be made in that night, a nonbeliever, and a woman child. Out in the cornfield, the cult was having one of its usual meetings. A follower spoke up,

"She is not going to join us Micah. You know what has to be done. Now, we will do it."

"He One Who Walks Behind The Rows has spoken to me." He preached to his following in the cornfield.

"And he has said the nonbeliever ------Lacey Hellerstat will be sacrificed on this night.

"She will be brought alive and uninjured." He drew his machete.

"Go! Bring her to me! Bring her to He Who Walks Behind The Rows!"

* * *

Leaning backwards tied to a cornstalk cross. Gagged and covered with yet another cornstalk cross. She had fought her best and now she felt so helpless. Her senses were clouded with fear. She heard voices around her but couldn't make out what they were saying. Suddenly the cover over her was lifted and the gag pulled away from her.

"Someone help me! Stop this! She screamed to all the children around her, most pretended she wasn't there, a couple of them smiled. Her breath left her when she saw him. Micah. He walked up to her and held her chin in his hand and said,

"He Who Walks Behind The Rows is pleased."

"Micah, don't do this, please."

"He gave you a chance to escape this." His dark eyes raked the length of her body then settled on her green eyes.

"Yes, you told me to leave. Remember, you said you would never hurt me." She tried to remain logical but on the inside she was caving.

"Yes, you should've listened." He said while tracing her arm with his finger, then the bonds of her wrists. His black eyes grazed over his sacrifice. "Now your blood will nourish the corn."

'Oh my god.' she thought. It was as she had feared.

----"I know, sometimes, he's not completely in control…I knew it every time you held me." Though she gazed hard into his eyes, his face was a perfectly sculpted mask of unreadable emotion.

"Actually, you came to see me, the other night. It was I, who held you then. You sensed a difference, you sensed, me I believe."

"I did."

"And you didn't leave? Why?"

"I didn't know what was going on with him. I didn't want to abandon him."

She wanted to keep him talking but wasn't sure if she could keep talking herself.

"I love you Micah! Please help me." He paused. She thought she saw his eyes glaze over. She didn't know for certain because her tears were blurring her vision.

"It's too late.-" he stated.

"No." She protested.

"You don't want to be saved by the only one who can. The good and true one who can protect you from the evil of the outside world." He looked away in silence.

"He loved you too, you know." She gasped at that moment feeling like he'd already killed her.

"It made him weak. Now he, no rather we, are strong, we are one."

"Micah!" She called desperately as he started to turn away. He looked back and said,

"Micah doesn't exist anymore."

An undecided outlander overheard what was said between the two. He felt genuinely sorry for her. Micah fired up is crowd with talks of cleansing and purging the land of the unbeliever. She screamed for it to stop.

The outlander that was poised to strike her, cut her bonds instead. Not everyone believed in that corn god. Shortly after that, in chaos, or rather a lack there of, everybody stood there when Micah's robe was caught by the harvester.

The wicked blue energy struck Micah and released him from it's possession it had over him. She could see what was happening and acted quickly. She grabbed his machete and frantically cut the piece of robe that was being pulled into the harvester. They rolled out of its path seconds before it harvested them like a ripe crop on a cool October day.

Micah was in shock at his brush with death, then being saved, by the one person

Who he was going to be responsible for killing.

The outlander tore her away from it all, wrapped her in a blanket and took her back home.

Micah was overwhelmed and struck with silence and strangled with guilt. He felt he could not speak to her again, but it was all he thought about doing for weeks. He was glad Angela wasn't involved or things would've been much worse for him. He continued to live with her, which mean he could remain close to Lacey. He hoped her family wouldn't move and that she would choose to talk to him again. He made up his mind that he wouldn't push her or try to charm her. He didn't take her for a fool. He hoped that she would one day seek him out.

Sitting back up in his room, things looked so ordinary on the outside. He popped one of the compilation CDs that Lacey had made for him. It randomly played, he listened to the lyrics.

'Empty spaces fill me up with holes

Distant faces with no place left to go

Without you within me I can't find no rest

Where I'm going is anybody's guess

I try to go on like I never knew you

I'm awake but my world's half asleep

I pray for this heart to be unbroken

But without you all I'm going to be is

Incomplete"

It saddened him.


	8. Chapter 8

CH8

AFTERMATH

He was not prosecuted after it was all over. After all, who could prove the wicked voodoo magic he possessed at that time. Or the ability that he had to could control things like the wheel chair incident. It was plain to see that something did occur in Hemingford be no one knew just what.

Many times children were present when evil things occurred. Also, many times the kids acted discreetly. He never would confess to anyone how many people he killed when his body was a puppet for He Who Walks Behind The Rows and with it, his powers. He never wrote it down, typed it or so much as whispered it. Some who heard of the events drew their own conclusions, some saw the similarities between Hemingford and Gatlin. Some where just in denial perhaps. Sixteen was the official body count that year but Micah could promise anyone that there were still more to find.

Lacey never told her parents exactly what happened in the field that one night. She ran with the wolf in sheep's clothing and made it out alive. From the sounds of it, none of the other children where talking. Danny decided it was up to Lacey and Micah where their relationship would go from here. He knew it was personal, therefore, didn't get involved. Danny came to check on Lacey before he left town.

"Hey, you OK?

"Yeah."

"My dad and I are leaving toady and I just wanted to stop in and see how you were."

"Thanks. I never did thank you for saving me-." She started to become emotional. "Thank you," She hugged him. "I owe you everything."

"I would've pressed charges. I don't want to embarrass you, but, I heard the conversation between you and him that night."

"You must be worried about him." She nodded her head.

"So I'm not going to tell you what to do. You and him, if there is still a you and him, can sort this out on your own. Meaning I'm not going to talk about it with other people."

"Thank you." He saw she needed a hug so he hugged her.

"Take care," he said.

"You too."

* * *

She found him perched on the roof of the abandon house she took him to throughout the years.

"Hey....Micah." She said softly as she approached him. He sat with his head down, wanting to look her in the face but couldn't.

"I'm so sorry; I didn't deserve to be saved." He caved in and started sobbing.

"I'm so sorry; you should've let me die." She sat down next to him, bit her bottom lip and slowly embraced him.

"Hey....I'm glad I found you." She let him vent his sadness to her for a few moments. She could guess that he'd been lamenting his choices a lot lately, especially were she was concerned. With her hand she moved his face up so he would look at her. She wiped his tears with her hands.

"Listen to me; you had no control of what happened back there."

"Why don't you hate me?" He asked desperately.

"I could tell you .......changed, somehow. I, unlike most people in this town believe in the supernatural, possession. I saw you in the cornfield once."

"And you didn't run for your life, you should've. What I did.............." His voice trailed off. His eyes widened. He could never utter the atrocities that he committed to her.

"When the possession left you, Oh Micah I knew I couldn't loose you." He then grabbed her and held her as tightly as he could.


End file.
